
Get your kids to take their medicine! Always discuss with your pediatrician or pharmacist to make sure that the medication is able to be mixed with any of the recommendations below. Some medications may need to be taken on an empty stomach. Some medications in pills or capsules, like extended-release or timed-release, may not be safe to crush or open.

Superhero Parents, Assemble! You can do this! Here are a HUNDRED different ways to get your kids to take their medicine!
- Mix with a spoonful of sugar
- Add cherry flavor from the pharmacist
- Give with a spoonful of ice-cream as a chaser
- Mix with pedialyte
- Color the medicine with food coloring
- Blend inside of a smoothie
- Inject into a donut hole to make your own filling
- Put a princess or super hero sticker on the syringe or medicine cup
- Make the syringe pretend to be a submarine coming into the dock
- Make the syringe or dosing cup pretend to be an airplane coming into the hanger
- Mix with juice (not grapefruit juice)
- Dip a pancake into the dose until each bite soaks up the medicine
- Add medicine to the holes of a waffle a little each time until eaten
- Add to an ice-pop
- Add root beer flavor from the pharmacist
- Mix with applesauce
- Get 2nd syringe with colored water to match the medicine, allow your child to give you a “dose” first – then they get the real thing
- Have your child pretend to give medicine to their favorite doll/toy
- Mix with powdered sugar
- Offer one m&m or other candy for each sip of medicine
- Mix with small amount of Gatorade
- Mix with chocolate syrup
- Mix with cherry syrup
- Give with a syringe instead of in a cup
- Empty syringe into a cup
- Let child be the doctor and give themselves the medicine
- Use the television as a distraction
- Let them play a game on the ipad/iphone while taking the medicine
- Give the medicine in a non-conventional place (like outside or in the bathtub)
- Put on their favorite movie
- Sing a song about taking medicine (spoonful of sugar is my favorite!)
- Make a craft project about decorating a favorite medicine cup
- Add watermelon flavor from the pharmacist
- Freeze* medicine into slushy or popsicle tray
- Have another adult help you to hold your child
- Put whipped cream on top of medicine cup
- Add sprinkles
- Play “this little piggy” with medicine going “all the way home”
- Parent pretends to take medicine first
- Add grape flavor from the pharmacist
- Write a story together about taking medicine
- Drink through a straw
- Drink through a Twizzler
- Give medicine directly to back of cheek to bypass taste buds
- Mix with frozen yogurt
- Mix with jelly
- Mix with peanut butter
- Mix into jell-o
- Have a different adult (like a grandparent or other caretaker) administer the medicine
- “Shoot” the medicine into their mouth from close distance (practice first with water in syringe)
- Make a sticker chart for each dose needed – give a prize when the chart is full and med complete
- Give smaller amount over several minutes instead of all at once
- Dip cornbread into medicine
- Add to grilled cheese
- Show older children how to swallow pill (ask pediatrician to change to pill form)
- Ask if medicine comes as a chewable or dissolving tablet
- Mix into a bread ball
- Put on top of pizza
- Add to spoonful of macaroni and cheese
- Dunk lollipop into medicine until all is licked off
- Mix with flavored drink
- Put medicine into pacifier (little at a time) and cut small slit on pacifier end
- Have a medicine tea party
- Give child a frozen dessert first to numb their mouth
- Hollow out candy (fun size) and add medicine inside
- Add bubble gum flavor from pharmacist
- Allow child to pick a treat to have after the dose
- Add to pumped breastmilk
- Put nose plugs in to hide smell and some of the taste
- Add sour flavor
- Warm up a cookie so the smell is throughout the room
- Add inside of a marshmallow
- Add cocoa powder to medicine
- Add vanilla powder to medicine
- Add honey to medicine dose (*only for children over age 1 year*)
- Add to cereal
- Dip goldfish into medicine until all is eaten
- Make a medicine dance (Pat your head, tap your toes, take your medicine, and down it goes)
- Take medicine while chewing on a Skittle
- Have a medicine puppet show
- Use your child’s favorite stuffed animal to help hold the syringe/cup
- Science lab — let your child help add the medicine to the cup or syringe
- Create a fun name for the medicine (ex: princess potion or superhero juice)
- Add to maple syrup
- Crush pill form medicine to make into sprinkles
- Open capsule and add to food of choice
- Use a funny hat or prop to disguise yourself as the medicine fairy
- Add to water
- Use a flavored straw to drink medicine
- Use a fun bendy straw
- Give a candy necklace, one bite for each sip of medicine
- Let child drink medicine while wearing a Halloween mask
- Add orange flavor from the pharmacist
- Add to ketchup to dip chicken fingers
- Mix with mashed up watermelon
- Use their favorite toy as distraction while giving the medicine
- Create list of fun places/ways to take medicine and add to a hat – let child pick each time
- Show videos of animals taking medicine
- Facetime a grandparent or other friend or family member to watch them take their medicine
- Use positive reinforcement, lots of encouragement, and applause when done!